WEATHER A ROADBLOCK FOR SPACE SHUTTLE MOVE.Byline: Charles F. Bostwick Staff Writer PALMDALE - NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. is trying to fly the space shuttle space shuttle, reusable U.S. space vehicle. Developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), it consists of a winged orbiter, two solid-rocket boosters, and an external tank. Columbia this weekend out of Air Force Plant 42, but the weather isn't cooperating. Rain canceled the first scheduled attempt before dawn Friday to roll the spacecraft out of the assembly building where it has been undergoing modifications for 17 months. The rollout was rescheduled for around 3 a.m. today, but only if storms hold off. ``They anticipate weather (today) as well,'' Boeing spokesman Robert Villanueva said Friday after the day's rollout was scrubbed. NASA hopes to fly the shuttle out at dawn Sunday atop its modified 747 carrier aircraft, officials said. That, again, depends on the weather cooperating. The craft could be rolled out and flown away during breaks in the storms, NASA officials said. The flight back to Kennedy Space Center Kennedy Space Center (Cape Canaveral) U.S. launch site for manned space missions. [U.S. Hist.: WB, So:562] See : Astronautics in Florida is expected to take two days, with an overnight stop in Texas. Columbia has been in Palmdale since September 1999 for 80 major modifications and a series of inspections, including detailed examinations of the orbiter's wiring. It also got better protection for its radiators against space debris Space debris or orbital debris, also called space junk and space waste, are the objects in orbit around Earth created by humans, that no longer serve any useful purpose. , upgrades to its space protection, weight reductions and the installation of a multifunction electronic display system or ``glass cockpit A glass cockpit is an aircraft cockpit that features electronic instrument displays. A relatively recent development, glass cockpits are highly sought-after upgrades from traditional cockpits. .'' The glass cockpit, similar to those used in the latest jetliners, consists of touch-screen electronic displays to replace the orbiter's 1970s video screens and mechanical gauges. Workers also inspected the orbiter's structure, looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. wear and tear, corrosion and broken rivets and welds. Columbia was the first of the shuttle fleet, rolled out of its Plant 42 assembly building March 8, 1979. It made its first flight April 12, 1981. The next shuttle scheduled to come to Palmdale for modifications and inspections is Discovery, which will probably arrive next fall. Meanwhile, the shuttle Atlantis is at Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. being prepared for its own cross-country trip to Florida. Atlantis could leave as early as Tuesday. |
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